


The Catch Of The Day

by Bluespacechild



Series: Here fishy fishy [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adorable Lance, Blood, Confused Lance (Voltron), Cute, Cute Lance (Voltron), Established Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Fisherman Keith, Fisherman Shiro, Fluff, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Keith/Lance - Freeform, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Ray of Sunshine, Lance (Voltron) is so Pure, Lance gets caught on a hook, Langst, M/M, Merman Lance, Multi, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Shiro/Lance - Freeform, keith/shiro - Freeform, klance, mermaid, shklance - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2020-10-05 10:01:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20487071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluespacechild/pseuds/Bluespacechild
Summary: Keith and Shiro hear rumors of a blue sparkling fish.Shiro, who loves fishing is exited.Keith, who hates fishing, is not.Both boy's never expected such a lucky catch.





	1. Sparkling Waters

**Author's Note:**

> I love mer Lance so much! Let me know if you have any ideas for this story, I may or may not be working on a few other merfics because my boi deserves to be a sparkly fish!

Sweat dripped down Keith's flushed, brooding face as he glared at his offending bobber. The bright orange coloring seemed to set something primal and angry off inside him and he silently hoped the same gentle buffet rocking their smallish boat would swoop it away under the crystalline water and he would never have to see the damn thing again.

The big cerulean cove they were fishing in was beautiful, but the bright, mid day sunlight overhead was bouncing and glinting directly into his sensitive eyes, and that, combined with the potent smell of sun screen, was giving him the worst head ache he'd ever experienced.

He found his eyes drifting yet again to the soft, white sand beach in the distance. He found himself wishing longingly that they had just stayed on shore and had a beach day, collecting shells or some other activity where they weren't constantly rocking unsteadily while they sat idle under the melting sun, fruitless for their efforts.

he reluctantly brought his eyes back to his bobber, watching in mild disgust as the tide ever so gently bounced it up and down.

Why couldn't Shiro be into something normal and young like rock collecting or hiking? Something land based where Keith's stomach wouldn't feel constantly uneasy as they forever swayed back and fourth.

Well... To be fair to Shiro, the older man _was _into those things, it was just super annoying that he was also into something as boring as, well, _fishing_.

Keith groaned internally. Even the word alone was enough to set off another wave of annoyance within him.

He could hear Shiro humming a gentle tune peacefully behind him from where he'd cast a line of his own, and he wondered not for the first time that day if the other was possessed by some sort of fishing demon, forever cursed with the urge to sit patiently by the water with a stick and string.

Albeit, a very _fancy_ stick and string, meant for catching very, _very_ large fish, but still entirely too primitive for Keith's taste.

He himself preferred traps, hunting, not.... _waiting around_.

Shiro, as though reading his mind, broke the silence.

"Hey Keith? I'm really glad you agreed to come with me... I know you hate the water, so it means a lot to me..."

Shiro's voice was soft, gentle, and sounded all too delighted that he had Keith wrapped around his little finger.

Keith melted a little more, but not because of the sunlight this time.

"It's fine Shiro, I'd follow you anywhere... even onto a stupid boat."

Keith jumped nearly a foot when he felt lips press to the back of his neck, yelping and nearly dropping his boyfriend's special fishing rod in the process.

He hadn't even heard Shiro move, let alone cross the boat to get right behind him.

"I change my mind, I'm never following you onto a stupid boat again."

Shiro chuckled at the reaction, apparently not caring in the slightest that he gave his boyfriend a near heart attack. "You know you will. You always do."

Keith pouted, choosing to stay silent as arms twined around his middle. Just because he was right, doesn't mean Keith had to verbally agree.

They stayed that way for a while longer, Keith relaxing for the first time that day, and resting his eyes as Shiro continued his gentle humming, lulling him to _actually_ enjoy the gentle rocking of their little boat.

That is until they were rudely interrupted by a large splash.

Shiro and Keith whipped around to look behind them. Whatever had made the large splash was no longer there, but the large ripples in the otherwise calm water proved that it had not been imagined due to the blistering heat of the day.

That had definitely been a big fish. A big something at the very least. Keith looked up at Shiro, who's eyes were sparkling with excitement and joy at the idea of_ that rumor_ being true.

It was only a couple of days ago that Coran, the bar tender for their small port side town, had burst into his bar late in the afternoon, a tornado of over exaggerated excitement as he went table to table, gathering people's attention to tell his tale. He had then stood on one of the worn bar tables before exclaiming that he had seen something large and glittering under the waters in this very cove!

This had gotten many a people interested, and soon exited murmurs of treasure and wealth had erupted, only to be interrupted as Coran continued his story. 

What he had seen was most definitely some kind of fish, the likes of which, he had 'never seen before in all his days'.

The exited murmuring had died out then, replaced with groans and rolling eyes as people returned to their previous conversations.

Shiro however...

Keith had never seen Shiro look so exited before in all his life, and soon Coran was retelling every detail of his story to his enraptured audience of one. 

It was enough to make Shiro giddy with excitement, packing up his fishing supplies, and dawning his fishing hat and vest, (Which made him look like an old man) ready to catch this famed mystery fish all on his own-.

With Keith's help of course.

Shiro kissed the top of Keith's head before scrambling over to his abandoned fishing pole, scooping it up from one of the many rode holders affixed to the side of the boat that he had left it in.

Keith rolled his eyes, but could admit, he too also felt a pang of excitement. Were they really about to catch Coran's famous glitter fish?

Keith was jerked out of his thoughts, yelping as his rod was almost tugged out of his hands, gripping on as hard as he could just to keep it in his grasp.

Shiro was there in an instant, coming behind him, and grabbing Keith's pole with one hand, and reeling their catch in with his free one.

Together they struggled with the large fish, Keith finding himself smiling in excitement at having been the one to catch it, even if it _was_ Shiro doing most of the work.

It was still on _his_ pole after all. Shiro would grumble later about it being a team effort, but Keith would always know the truth.

They finally had the fish close to the surface, and they found themselves giddy at the prospect of what could possibly be on the end of their line, until that giddiness abruptly turned to dread when a human hand and arm surfaced, followed by a torso and head.

Keith was frozen in shock and horror, but Shiro wasted no time, releasing the rod and grabbing the boy's uninjured arm to prevent him from sinking down into the depths once again.

The large fake fish lure Keith had been using was dangling at the boy's hand and arm, attached to caramel skin by the two large hooks on the lure's underbelly. The hooks had sunk deep and slid downward before catching and sticking low on the boy's wrist and forearm, exposing large amounts of flesh, and some bone on the boy's palm (if Keith's eyes were seeing correctly through his panic). Blood was gushing down the boy's skin, quickly staining the cerulean water a shade of burgundy that made Keith's stomach roll in displeasure. The fishing wire had somehow tangled around his body in his struggle, proven by the large gashes on his arms, neck, and chest, which were all steadily trickling with their own trails of blood.

"l-let go!" The boy cried, large blue eyes glittering with tears as he tried desperately to push Shiro off and wiggle away.

Keith snapped out of his daze and rushed to find something to cut the wire, pulling out Shiro's tackle box and rifling through it for something sharp.

When he found Shiro's special fishing wire scissors, he practically leapt back to the side of the boat where the struggle was still occurring.

Shiro was trying to explain to the struggling man that he needed to get him into the boat so that they could get him to a hospital, but the boy didn't seem to be listening, hyperventilating through the pain and panic, forcing Shiro to grab him bodily and haul the surprisingly heavy boy into the boat and to safety.

Half way up however, Shiro almost dropped the boy in his shock, Keith jerking back in surprise. Where there should have been legs, a long, thrashing, iridescent blue tail glittered instead.

Shiro seemed to yet again gain control and reason _way_ before Keith did, and regained his hold as he kept pulling the boy into the boat.

Shiro tumbled backwards, hitting the floor with an 'umf!' as the man- no, _mer_man- continued struggling in his arms despite his injuries, and Shiro's hurried reassurance's.

"K- umf!-Keith, cut the wire!" Shiro grunted as he tried his hardest to restrain the mer's arms.

Keith snapped to it, cutting the line from the pole before rushing to Shiro's side, both doing their best to calm the strange being in Shiro's lap.

"Listen-ow! please- you need to calm down!" Keith tried unsuccessfully as the boy's tail smacked him, the being seemingly more distressed at his failure to evade capture.

"Calm!? HUMANS EAT THE FISH THEY CATCH!" The boy cried, wiggling and writhing in an admittedly very fish like manner.

"We aren't going to eat you!" Keith cried in mild disgust.

Shiro held both the boys arms still, muttering soothing words of comfort that Keith could just barely make out in some parts.

"-calm-... -just want to help-... -that's it, it's okay..." Shiro held the boy still for what seemed like an eternity until he stopped thrashing, and only then did he let the boy's uninjured arm go, still gently cradling the injured wrist to keep it from tangling further..

The mer looked up at Keith with eyes the color of the sea, and just as turbulent, but far prettier than any ocean he'd ever seen. upon closer inspection, the boy's cheeks were dotted in tiny splotches of blue that reflected pink where the sun touched them. Freckles? Atop the boy's head was an unruly mop of wet brown hair that was curling upwards at the ends where it had begun to dry. Glancing at the boy's tail revealed the same iridescent shade of blue as his 'freckles', reflecting the sunlight in a beautiful pastel pink, delicate tendrils of decorative fins lacing down it's sides to where it ended in large transparent fin. Keith stared for a few seconds, before he dragged his eyes back to the boy's face. The mer was still shaking, looking unsure whether he should try to escape or play dead, and Keith wanted nothing more than to take the poor thing's pain away. He felt unimaginable guilt that he had been the one to cause it in the first place.

It had been _his_ pole after all.

"Y-you really won't eat me?"

Keith shook his head furiously, heart clenching at the tiny, unsure voice.

Keith, remembering what Shiro had told him about frightened animals, spoke softly, making his movements exaggeratedly slow as he slowly knelt next to the merman, watching as the other flinched and jerked in Shiro's hold. "It's okay, It's okay, I just need to see where you're hurt so I can help."

He met the scared blue eyes with his own, heart racing as slowly, the fear drained out of the injured boy, replaced with uncertainty.

"Can you tell us your name?" Keith found himself saying gently.

The ocean eyes blinked a few times before a stuttered out. "L-lance... My name is Lance." was whispered from the soft pink lips.

Keith found himself smiling despite the situation "My name is Keith, and the guy holding you is Shiro. I'm going to be right back okay? I need to get some towels to wipe the blood away, and some bandages."

Lance swallowed, but nodded despite the pain and adrenaline running through his veins, and it was all the confirmation Keith needed before he darted to the other side of the boat, opening a small compartment for their emergency first aid kit and their towels.

He retrieved their supplies quickly before making his way back to where Shiro was still holding Lance, a small, soft smile growing on his boyfriend's features as Lance curiously picked up his prosthetic arm, turning it over in in his free hand as he asked questions and made soft trilling noises in the back of his throat.

Shiro indulged Lance's curiosity, explaining how, no, he wasn't born with a metal arm, and no lance, he couldn't feel that.

Keith almost felt bad for interrupting until he remembered Lance was steadily leaking precious, life giving blood.

He plopped down on the floor next to the two, and Lance ducked his head in surprise, releasing Shiro's arm quickly as though he had been burned.

"It's okay, you can keep talking."

Lance stared at him from under his long lashes as Keith went to work wiping blood from the worst of his injuries, decidedly_ not_ talking. He turned his head as he looked at him, almost like a curious puppy.

Keith blushed, unsure what to say as the silence stretched on, and eyes kept boring into him. He was thankful when Shiro offered up his hand again and Lance went back to his trilling, easily distracted by the shiny metal arm, much to Shiro and Keith's amusement.

When he got a clear enough look at the place where the hooks connected to flesh he sighed. "The hook is in there really deep. I won't be able to get it out without making it worse... We need a doctor Shiro.."

"Well we can't take him to a normal doctor..."

Shiro looked down at Lance, carefully raising his free hand out of the mer's grasp before pushing the boy's curly hair from his face as the mer looked up to meet his eyes.

"Lance, this is very important. Do your people have a doctor? Is this type of wound something you recover from easily?"

Lance's face fell at the mention of his people. "No..."

Shiro waited for elaboration before he continued. "No to the doctor, or to recovering...?"

Lance's eyes filled with tears. "I don't have a people... not anymore... And wounds such as these must be treated or they begin to whiten and burn one's mind. I don't know how though..."

Shiro shushed the crying mer, coddling him as he murmured reassurances into his hair, sharing a concerned glance with Keith.

Keith's face scrunched up in confusion. "Burn one's mind?"

Shiro's face was sad as he gently pet Lance's hair in an effort to sooth the distressed creature. "I think he means fever. An infection." He translated.

Keith swallowed. This was more serious than he'd thought, and he had no solution other than-

"We'll take him home with us."

Shiro blanched. "What?! Keith we can't just-"

"Just until he's recovered from his wounds. We can bandage him up in our bathtub and then let him recover in the lake by our house."

Shiro seemed to be thinking it over, creases forming on his brow, but before he could respond, Keith continued.

"This is my fault Shiro, I'm the one who caught him on my line. I need to make sure he's okay..."

Keith trailed off, absent mindedly putting a hand on Lance's tail, who trilled in what they assumed to be concern.

They both looked down at the little merman, hearts melting at big blue eyes shining with hope, and blushing cheeks. "You're... so much nicer than Mama said you'd be! I'm sorry I touched your fake fish, I thought it was really pretty, and I didn't see the hurt metal..."

Keith's gaze softened and he looked once again to the hooks in the boys arm before pointedly looking at Shiro, causing the older man to sigh.

"I guess we're going to have to interrupt Pidge's vacation a little early aren't we?"

Keith winced at the thought of their smaller friend's wrath, but saw no other solution to their current problem.

Between them, Lance looked back and fourth before pulling a lost, and confused frown.

"Vacation?"


	2. Out of the pan and into the-... bathtub?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro take Lance home, and have lunch while they wait for Pidge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited a few scenes from the last chapter just a bit, to make them more cohesive. There's nothing major that's different, just letting you know in case you noticed a difference. also this chater is pretty short but i might not have much time to upload so i wanted you to have something at least.

Shiro sighed tiredly, plopping down on the closed toilet to catch his breath as he watched Lance, who still very much had a hook in his arm, look around their bathroom in absolute wonder. The boy had just been flopped haphazardly into their large bathtub, and now occupied himself by running his hands over the smooth, slick porcelain in amazement.

The human took the time the other was distracted to graze his eyes over the long, stunning, tail dangled over the side of the tub, the tips of the fin just barely touching the floor as it sparkled and dripped in the florescent lights. As beautiful as Lance was, and as much as he lit up the space, Shiro found himself distantly hoping that the boy wouldn't have to be crammed in the small area for too long. Lance didn't seem like the type of person to enjoy sitting still, and he imagined the bathtub wouldn't be the most comfortable of accommodations for too long.

Shiro's gaze fell to the chipped pieces of grout between the floor tiles, and he went over the days events in his head, wondering yet again if this was some kind of _vivid_ hallucination brought on by his PTSD.

After Keith and himself had called Pidge, _begging_ her for a visit due to a badly injured sea life, the two men had driven their boat back to the shore before they gently carried Lance to their jeep, placing him in a nest of soft beach towels for the journey back and dousing his tail with water bottles whenever it got too dry. After arriving home, Keith had run to fill up the downstairs bathtub while Shiro had picked up the heavy patient, and lugged him through the house, just barely managing to get him into the warm water before his arms gave out. He smiled, absentmindedly flexing his prosthetic hand at the memory of Lance's excitement over the instrument, and how innocently he had deemed it Shiro's 'shiny arm'.

His attention flickered back to Lance as the mermaid reached out to gently and curiously touch the shower curtain hanging bunched up beside him, gasping in wonder as it extended when he pulled it closer, staring at the curtain rod in rapture.

Shiro was smiling before he even realized it, watching in amusement as Lance tugged it as far as he could reach with his limited mobility until it was halfway extended, blocking him from view.

"Is this so intruders of your nest will have a harder time finding you?" He asked quietly from behind the fabric as his exposed tail flipped excitedly.

Shiro chuckled lightly, imagining every horror movie he'd ever seen where the protagonist had hidden in the shower. "It's not very good for hiding, everyone has one so it's a pretty obvious choice. It's made for privacy."

Lance trilled in a lilt that Shiro was learning meant he didn't understand before he pulled the bale yellow shower curtain back to where it started, gazing at Shiro curiously.

"You give your puddle privacy?" Lance looked down at the water he was currently lounging in, splashing it as though to test if it would do anything before looking back at Shiro for answers.

And Shiro- well he didn't know what to say. Mer-people didn't wear clothes from what he could tell, so how did he explain the concept of nudity? Did mer-people even need to be washed if they lived in water?

As it would turn out, he didn't need to say anything. Keith made his great return at that very moment, arms filled with sweet nourishment that made Shiro and Lance's eyes light up.

Lance trilled a happy little sound as he twisted and turned in the bath, wiggling around to better face Keith and his offering of food, splashing water all over the bathroom floor in his admittedly cute struggle.

Keith jumped, stumbling to avoid slipping in the puddle, only to be caught by Shiro, who wanted to save not only his boyfriend, but their next meal.

He hadn't eaten anything since sunrise and he'd be damned if a puddle stopped him now.

Keith quickly pushed the food into Shiro's arms, turning to Lance with a disapproving frown as he held out his hand expectantly. "You're supposed to be staying still remember? Now show me your arm, I want to make sure you didn't hurt yourself."

Lance pouted, eyebrows furrowing as he made a soft clicking sound, reluctantly offering his arm, which Keith gingerly took. "Didn't hurt myself... I just wanted to face you! Offering food is an intimate gesture and should not be taken lightly..."

Shiro's cheeks dusted pink, and Keith's brows raised in surprise as he blinked at the blue eyes staring determinedly back.

Keith regained his bearings quickly this time, making eye contact with Shiro before releasing Lance's arm and pulling out an apple from the bundle of food he had shoved into his boyfriend's arms, offering it to Lance silently.

The two stared at each other for a bit, Lance's eyes going from the apple to Keith several times before Keith's brow furrowed.

"Well? Are you going to take it?"

Lance leaned forwards, still looking at Keith before his gaze shifted to the shiny lump in his hands. He sniffed at the red fruit curiously. "What is it...?"

Keith huffed, rolling his eyes, a light blush coating his cheeks. "Food. Now are you going to eat it or should I?"

Lance chirped curiously and excitedly, taking the apple from Keith and examining it closer.

Keith turned back around, reaching for a snack of his own, only to find a guilty looking Shiro shoving half a loaf of bread into his mouth.

Keith gave him a disapproving look. "Really Shiro?"

Shiro swallowed the Hunk of bread sheepishly before replying. "What? I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. "you're gonna choke-"

The rapid crunching from the bathtub drew their attention, and Shiro smiled warmly.

Lance had devoured half the apple by the time they turned their gaze to him, juices spilling down his cheeks and dripping into the water he was resting in, not caring to avoid the core or the stem of the fruit in the slightest. "Thank you for the crunchy!" Lance said around the food in his mouth.

Keith sighed, rolling his eyes and grabbing his own food, defeated. "Don't talk with your mouth full." Before turning to Shiro as though it was his fault. "And you'd better hope the Heimlich maneuver works on fish." 

Shiro's brow furrowed, mouth once again full of bread. "S'not my fault though..."

Keith raised an eyebrow at him as Lance glanced between the two mid bite. "Monkey see, monkey do."

Shiro rolled his eyes. "He's not gonna choke Keith."

Keith huffed. "He'd better not."

Shiro shook his head and stood slightly from his perch to kiss Keith on the cheek, causing the other to grumble in irritation from the crumbs he'd been gifted before they all settled in and continue to munch on their meal. Keith watched as despite the assurance that it wasn't his fault Lance scarfed the apple down, Shiro heeded his warning, slowing down as he ate, amused when Lance copied the action from the bathtub. When Lance finished his apple he stared at the food in Shiro's grasp before staring at the man in question intensely from over the rim of the bathtub. When the human noticed his staring, the mer was gifted another 'crunchy', causing another round of chirping and cooing in thanks.

Despite his tiredness, and his worry that one of the fools beside him was going to choke to death on the now wet bathroom floor, Keith found himself smiling into his tea, which Lance sniffed at curiously when offered to him by Shiro.

His lover had just so easily handed the apple over to the little mermaid using his prosthetic, not seeming to even notice he had used it, whereas normally he would have gone to great lengths to avoid using it for even the simplest tasks.

He felt pride welling up inside him for his boyfriend before it diminished slightly when he glanced at Lances arm. The bandages that Keith had managed to wrap without disturbing the hook were already bloody, and the bathwater was tinged a light pink.

He hoped Pidge would get here soon...


	3. Sleepy Fishy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lesson on taking care of your fish by Keith and Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't fillet me for my absence.

Keith worriedly pet Lance's hair away from his face, watching as his bright blue eyes drooped low before he had to gently coaxed him back awake. "Hey buddy, no sleeping yet okay?"

Instead of an innocent, almost childlike answer, Lance nodded sluggishly, a low crooning sound echoing in the small bathroom as he sunk down in the water. It had been a full hour since they had gotten Lance into their bathtub, and Lance seemed to be progressively getting sicker and sicker. He had thrown up most of the food he had eaten, and Both Shiro and Keith were worried they had poisoned him somehow, or that the blood loss was worse than they had thought. The water, which had to be changed out due to Lance's sick, was already pink again, and it was driving a sharp steak of worry into Keith's heart. 

The merman's complexion had become sallow, and his eyes had become glazed over as his energy was seemingly zapped from him.

Shiro was in the other room on the phone with Pidge, trying to problem solve keeping their 'large strange fish' alive while Keith did his best to keep Lance responsive and awake.

He thought it was a horrible idea.

Not keeping Lance awake, that was of the upmost importance at the moment, but for Keith to be the one doing it... Every time they talked, Keith wouldn't know how to keep the conversation alive, and Lance was too tired to keep asking questions about human things or beg Keith if he could keep the pretty fishy once it had stopped biting him. (The answer was always a hard no from Keith and absolutely from a cooing Shiro.)

Lance's head drooped forward and Keith had to shake him slightly to make him open his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Lance, I didn't know the apples would make you sick, but you've gotta stay awake, okay?"

Keith was surprised when Lance looked up at him with tearful eyes, shaking slightly in the warm water. "Do you think they'll miss me?"

Keith's brow furrowed. "Who?"

Lance sniffled, but otherwise didn't let his tears fall as he turned away to look at the water he was submerged in, quiet once again.

This time, Keith didn't let the conversation die, a surge of protectiveness activated at seeing those bright eyes filled with tears. He tilted Lance's chin up gently so that their eyes met once more. "Who?"

Lance's face crumpled and the tears fell freely, his composure lost as he sobbed. "M-My shoal! They- I know they swam me off, but do you think they at least-" Lance choked and wiped at his face before finishing his sentence "... at least miss me?" The last words were less panicked, and more subdued, almost as if Lance was coming to some kind of conclusion of his own. "Or would they be glad I'm finally gone?"

Keith felt his jaw tighten, unsure what to say, but knowing he needed to say something. "Why'd they... you know, swim you off?"

Lance sniffled, his eyes drooping again. "M'so tired Keef... Can I sleep for just a little bit? You can wake me up when Shiro gets back."

Keith shook his head sadly. "No, not yet."

Lance blinked, looking miserable, eyebrows scrunching up. "Why not?"

_Because I'm scared you won't wake up._

Keith searched for an answer that wouldn't frighten him, swallowing hard before licking his dry lips. "Because... well you have to tell me more about your species so we can figure out if there's a... a different reason you're sick."

Lance seemed to think it over before he nodded weakly, accepting the answer. "what do you need to know?"

Keith thought hard. He knew what he wanted to ask about, concern that Lance felt unwanted eating away at him inside, but knew, now that he really thought about it, that there was a big possibility that Lance's sickness could be something they just hadn't thought about yet. He started with something simple. "Well... what do your kind normally eat?"

Lance sniffled, rubbing his eye with his uninjured arm. "Fish... and sea weed... sometimes other things if we can find them."

Keith nodded, It was what he had expected, but it still made him concerned that they had shocked his system somehow with something so different.

"How long can your kind breath air?"

Lance blinked groggily. "I don't know... my mother always warns us not to stay out of the water until our tails dry out though, that it'll make us sick... , we're all taught to stay away from the shore as guppies, this is the first time I've breathed air for so long..."

Keith rubbed Lance's shoulder up and down in a manner he hoped was reassuring, now worried that Lance was suffering from something like exposure.

He raked his brain for another helpful question to keep Lance awake and distracted. "So what's your... your home like?"

The response was almost instantaneous. Just like that Lance was crying again, and Keith was shushing him, rubbing his back and apologizing profusely. "Hey, hey it's okay, deep breaths, deep breaths."

When Lance was calm again Keith didn't ask anymore questions, instead opting to tell him about random things as they came to him, and watching to be sure Lance was responding and listening. Keith wasn't usually a conversationalist, but he felt it was helping Lance to listen to something that wasn't dripping water, something to draw in his focus. As much of it as he had left at least. He told Lance about how they came to be at the cove they had found him at. He told him about Coran and a few of the strange man's wildest tales, including the one about A giant glittery fish, which made Lance giggle weakly.

Eventually, Keith found himself floundering for another story, scared that if he didn't keep up his talking, Lance wouldn't have anything to concentrate on, and would slip away from them just as fast as he had come.

He was spared the struggle however, when Lance weakly pulled on Keith's sleeve, bringing Keith's attention to the disoriented mer beside him. "Keef?"

Keith waited patiently as Lance tried to organize what he was about to say. "Keef... I'm... sorry that I'm dying in your puddle."

The alarm bells in Keith's mind over-rid any humor in Lance's strange way of speaking. He pushed the mer's hair away from his face again, jerking back from just how cold he had gotten.

He felt his blood turn icier than Lance's skin when those piercing eyes slipped closed and his body slumped the rest of the way to the side. "Lance? Hey, hey stay awake okay?! Don't fall asleep!" But no matter what he said, Lance didn't stir.

He huffed out a determined breath as he striped of his shoes and climbed into the tub, Pulling the unconscious merman into his lap just as Shiro burst into the room with a large cylinder of-

Salt?

The Kosher sea salt they kept in the top pantry.

Shiro looked like a mad man as he darted into the room, barely giving Keith a second glance as he dumped the remainder of the bottle into the tub frantically before they swished it around and let it dissolve.

Shiro and Keith looked at each other, both out of breath from all the commotion, before Keith face palmed.

Weren't pet fish supposed to be for beginners? Something even little kids could take care of?

Keith cradled Lance closer as Shiro held his hand.

They had a lot to learn about their new guest.

When Lance woke up an hour later, he was bombarded with a yummy smelling (salty) food that Shiro called stew, and plenty of liquids via Keith, as the two worried and handsome humans fretted over him, and coddled him to no end.

Lance thought maybe his near death experience had been worth it if it meant being spoiled to such and extent. 


	4. The fish just talked to me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is here! And she brought a friend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 0u0' sorry for being so late... most of my fics shall be updated.

There was a sound beyond his closed eyelids...

A tapping? No, no... a knocking.

Knocking, on a door...

Their door.

Keith awoke from his slumber in an instant of realization, head swiveling towards the noise. He suddenly found that he couldn't get up fast enough, flinging himself towards the offending entrance like his life depended on it, unnecessary amounts of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

He had meant to merely rest his eyes on their couch while he waited for Pidge to arrive, but he supposed all the commotion and sunlight of the day had taken more out of him than he had at first believed.

Either way, the threat of the closed door was quickly neutralized, revealing a startled looking Pidge carrying an armful of what he assumed was her fish supplies. Her other arm was raised as though she were just about to knock again, but she slowly lowered it, looking at him with mild concern.

"Can I come in now? I've been knocking for like five minutes."

"Pidge, thank god you're-... Who are you?" Keith stopped mid word, closing the door slightly in a sudden surge of protectiveness as he glanced over Pidge's head to look at-

Whoever that was.

'Whoever that was', was a tall, beefy looking man, wearing a brightly colored yellow headband, an orange shirt portraying their local fish research center's logo, all paired a with a pair of dingy cargo shorts. The man shifted and rubbed the back of his neck, giving a shaky smile.

He looked kinda nervous actually...

It was at that moment when Keith remembered that he had resting murder face, and the stranger probably didn't deserve his wrath if he was hanging around Pidge, but still-

"Uh, well my name is Hunk! I work with Pidge, and she asked if I could come and help with cataloging this new species of fish that you've found-?"

"Leave."

The word left his mouth before he had a chance to think. He was not about to let some stranger poke and prod Lance while he was hurt-

That was Pidge's job, not this guy's.

Pidge handed the supplies off to a crestfallen Hunk, who took them awkwardly as he shuffled again on his feet. "Wait here for just a second."

The small girl punched Keith roughly in the arm, causing him flinch back. "Ow!"

She rolled her eyes. "I know you majored in being a dick, but can you like stop for just one second? Hunk is nice, and he's here to help."

Keith glanced wearily at Hunk. "He can't come in Pidge, I'm sorry..."

The girl sighed. "I was afraid you would say that."

She cracked her neck, before she walked past Keith, to the surprise of both boys, stopping in the center of the living room, stretching, and clearing her throat.

She took a single deep breath and before Keith could stop her, she was cupping her hands around her mouth and screaming bloody murder-

"SHIROOOOOOOOO!!!!"

The bathroom door burst open after three seconds, a startled Shiro looking around frantically.

He was soaking wet.

"What?! What's wrong?!"

Pidge gave him a once over, unimpressed in his appearance, and Shiro had the decency to look at least a little embarrassed as he made his way into the living room. 

"You have horrible taste in men. Keith is being very rude to my friend, spank him or something."

At the mention of a friend, Shiro glanced around Keith who was still guarding the door, at the embarrassed looking Hunk.

Pidge stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Also, the friend's name is Hunk." 

Hunk waved sheepishly, and Shiro blinked at him in silence for a few moments.

"Oh, hello Hunk, it's nice to finally meet you..." Shiro threw him a dazzling smile, and for a moment Pidge was relieved that at least Shiro would make a good impression. "But... I am afraid I cannot allow you inside past the hallway, you'll have to stay in the living room."

Pidge's jaw dropped at the rudeness Shiro had just addressed her friend with.

Keith she could understand, but this was not like Shiro at all.

"Shiro?! What the hell is going on, why are you acting like this?!"

Shiro laughed nervously, but it was Keith who responded.

"What do you mean?"

Pidge felt her eye twitching. "W- What do _you_ mean!? You're both acting super suspicious!"

It was just then that they all heard a loud splash, Keith attempting to race back to the bathroom while Shiro turned to stop the others from following him.

That's when Pidge heard it. A boy's voice, neither Keith nor Shiro's.

"Shiro? Keith?!"

The bathroom door opened before Keith could get there, and all eyes looked on in shock when a _boy_ flopped onto the ground after seemingly loosing his balance just from opening the door. She could only see his upper half, but what she _did_ see made her stomach curl.

The boy was naked, soaking wet, and was covered in blood and bandages.

What the hell didn't they want Hunk to see? Why wasn't this boy in the hospital? Why couldn't he walk?

The boy attempted to pull himself further out of the door, looking curiously at Pidge and Hunk, but Keith grabbed him, somewhat harshly, and dragged him back into the bathroom before slamming the door. All the while the boy never took his eyes off of the two new people.

Did Shiro and Keith...?

Pidge was pale when she looked at Hunk, wondering if he was thinking the same thing as her.

Hunk looked down at her in the same moment, horror on his soft features, face ashen, and she knew that they had to get this boy out of here.

"What the actual hell Shiro, what happened? What did you do to that kid?!"

Shiro's brow furrowed before understanding hit him, causing him to ramble out a few useless syllables of shock before finally speaking. "It's not what you think! He just needs help Pidge we didn't do anything!"

Pidge eyed her friend, the person she thought she knew so well, feeling her stomach turn. "Then why don't you want Hunk here? Why'd Keith grab him like that and shove him back into the bathroom?!" 

Shiro took a deep breath, looking between Pidge and Hunk with his tired stormy grey eyes.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do... we'll tell you first Pidge, and then if you think Hunk is trustworthy enough, _you_ can tell him... okay?"

Pidge looked taken aback, and very much so weirded out. "Of course _Hunk_ is trustworthy why else would I bring him here? _You're_ the one acting shifty! That boy needs a hospital! I work with fish!"

"We'd be putting him in more danger by moving him, you'll understand when you see him, I promise. Just please, give us a chance to explain, you've known us for years, we would never do something like you're thinking."

Shiro then wordlessly stepped aside for Pidge to pass him, and after a few weary seconds she did, giving a long and meaningful glance at Hunk as she passed. Hunk went to follow, but Shiro shot him a stern look, stepping back in front of him, and the boy stopped in his tracks, looking worriedly down the hallway as Pidge cautiously approached the bathroom.

When she jiggled the handle and found it locked she let out a long suffering sigh. "Keith! Open the door you psycho!"

A few seconds later the door unlocked and Keith poked his head out wearily, a splashing noise clearly audible behind him. 

He looked over at Shiro who nodded before he cautiously allowed Pidge inside, closing the door behind them.

The air was tense. The worried glances Hunk kept sending made Shiro fidget uncomfortably. It must have been a very strange and disturbing sight to have stumbled upon, but Shiro couldn't explain anything until he knew for sure that this kid wasn't going to run right back to their research facility, spill the beans, and send every scientist in the state knocking on their door.

He personally wouldn't want a bunch of random people at his house, but the thought of what they might do to Lance sent shivers down his spine.

suddenly there was a scream from the bathroom. "HUNK!"

Shiro whipped around, startled by the scream, but Hunk seemed to have been ready for this.

Shiro was shoved roughly to the ground, slamming his face into the cold wood flooring and becoming temporarily dazed as Hunk leaped bodily over him to get to the bathroom. "PIDGE!"

"Hunk wait!" He tried to outstretch his metal arm to catch the guy's leg, but although it looked fine on the outside, his prosthetic it did not respond. He must have crushed it when he landed, and knocked something out of place.

He pulled himself to his feet with his real arm, stumbling as blood dripped down his nose, just as Hunk crashed through their bathroom door.

Just as Hunk was entering however he witnessed Pidge being shoved away from the bathtub, the curious looking boy quickly being hidden away behind the shower curtain. "Pidge what happened?!? What's going on!?"

Why was the boy in the bathtub?! Is that what those splashing sounds were?

Pidge was wide eyed, her mouth hung open, and she seemingly couldn't speak. All she could manage was to point at the bathtub, which Keith was guarding rather protectively, reminding Hunk of a seriously pissed off goalie.

Hunk turned to him, glaring, and Keith glared right back.

"move." Hunk said simply, which Keith responded to only by raising a single eyebrow.

The voice behind the shower curtain decided to pipe up just then, causing everyone to turn and look as he attempted to peek out at Hunk, who caught only a glimpse of brown hair before Keith was roughly shoving the shower curtain back into place with a quiet "Lance, no."

Hunk saw red then, stepping forward, and roughly pushing Keith to the side, who was caught by a still shaky Shiro as he just barely stumbled into the bathroom, falling to the ground with the added weight.

That poor boy sounded so young, and the way he was roughly pulled back in here, bloody and against his will, only to be talked to like a child...

And Pidge's face, she was obviously in shock, so it must be really bad...

What had they done to him?

Hunk ripped the dingy shower curtain aside, preparing for something horrible and gruesome, but-

The boy in the tub curled up into a far corner, looking up at Hunk with fear.

He felt his heart pang with guilt when he realized how aggressive he had just been and how scary he must look to the poor kid.

And that's when his brain loaded, and he glanced down and he finally saw it. _The tail_, which, first of all that can't be right, human's didn't have _fish tails_, so it must be fake. Must've been some weird thing Shiro and Keith forced him to wear... That's what he thought of course until he examined it closer, not seeing a seem were skin and scale ended, and the way the joint where knees would be in a costume... moved side to side, in a distinctly inhuman kind of way. He finally gave the boy's face a closer look, staring at the protruding iridescent scales in confusion. 

They were attached to him. In his skin. No blood from the puncture wounds, no signs of bruising. 

Hunk's jaw fell open, he felt light headed. This had to be special effects right?

That's when the boy looked past him at the crumpled Shiro and Keith on the ground, the fear on his delicate face quickly turning into fury.

Slowly, the mermaid(-merman?!), Looked up at him. "You hurt them!"

All Hunk could do was stare in shock, stuttering as he tried to find the right words.

It took a while but finally his brain settled on something appropriate and not at all offensive.

"Pidge, the fish just talked to me."

The merman's jaw dropped, and the last thing Hunk remembers is the pretty blue and pink tail coming right at his head, a sharp pain as he hits the floor, and then nothing but a quickly fading image of the ceiling and muddled words as he slips into darkness.

Shiro and Keith had a lot of explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao Pidge totally face palmed at Hunk after the k.o., and you know it.


End file.
